Bodmin by-election, 1906
Encyclopedia
The Bodmin by-election, 1906 was a by-election
held on 24 July 1906 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Bodmin
.
The by-election was triggered by the unseating of the town's Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) Thomas Agar-Robartes
, as a result of an election petition alleging illegal payments to potential voters. The success of the petition was controversial, as the presiding Judge, Justice Grantham
, himself a former Conservative MP, was already facing criticism for a decision on an election petition in the Great Yarmouth constituency
which had been considered unduly favourable to the Conservatives. A censure motion was outstanding in Parliament at the time of the decision, but the Government decided not to proceed with it. Five years later, he was censured in Parliament by the then Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, as a consequence of some comments to a jury in a case in Liverpool.
The Liberal candidate was Freeman Freeman-Thomas
, who had lost his Hastings
seat in the recent general election
. The Conservative was George John Sandys
. The brother of the unseated member toured the constituency, urging voters to avenge the result of the petition by voting Liberal. The Conservatives alleged that the Government was planning to make up to 20,000 soldiers unemployed, a claim rejected by the Secretary of War, Richard Haldane
. The Liberal candidate won with a slightly reduced majority (down from 1,172 to 1,093) on a somewhat smaller turnout than at the general election. Sandys went on to become Conservative MP for Wells
from 1910 to 1918, and his son Duncan Sandys
later became an MP and cabinet minister.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 24 July 1906 for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Bodmin
Bodmin (UK Parliament constituency)
Bodmin was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Cornwall from 1295 until 1983. Initially, it was a parliamentary borough, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England and later the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1868 general...
.
The by-election was triggered by the unseating of the town's Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) Thomas Agar-Robartes
Thomas Agar-Robartes
Thomas Charles Reginald Agar-Robartes was a British Liberal politician.Tommy Agar-Robartes was the eldest son and heir of Thomas Agar-Robartes, 6th Viscount Clifden, and his wife Mary and was brought up at Lanhydrock House, Bodmin...
, as a result of an election petition alleging illegal payments to potential voters. The success of the petition was controversial, as the presiding Judge, Justice Grantham
William Grantham
William Grantham was a British politician.-Biography:He was educated at King's College School, and was called to the bar in 1863....
, himself a former Conservative MP, was already facing criticism for a decision on an election petition in the Great Yarmouth constituency
Great Yarmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Great Yarmouth is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
which had been considered unduly favourable to the Conservatives. A censure motion was outstanding in Parliament at the time of the decision, but the Government decided not to proceed with it. Five years later, he was censured in Parliament by the then Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, as a consequence of some comments to a jury in a case in Liverpool.
The Liberal candidate was Freeman Freeman-Thomas
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, the country's 22nd.Freeman-Thomas was born in England and...
, who had lost his Hastings
Hastings (UK Parliament constituency)
Hastings was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1885 general election, when its representation was reduced to one member....
seat in the recent general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
. The Conservative was George John Sandys
George John Sandys
George John Sandys was a British diplomat and Conservative politician.Sandys was educated at Clifton College and Pembroke College, Oxford. He served in the South African War and in the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War, during which he was wounded. He was Member of Parliament for...
. The brother of the unseated member toured the constituency, urging voters to avenge the result of the petition by voting Liberal. The Conservatives alleged that the Government was planning to make up to 20,000 soldiers unemployed, a claim rejected by the Secretary of War, Richard Haldane
Richard Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane
Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane KT, OM, PC, KC, FRS, FBA, FSA , was an influential British Liberal Imperialist and later Labour politician, lawyer and philosopher. He was Secretary of State for War between 1905 and 1912 during which time the "Haldane Reforms" were implemented...
. The Liberal candidate won with a slightly reduced majority (down from 1,172 to 1,093) on a somewhat smaller turnout than at the general election. Sandys went on to become Conservative MP for Wells
Wells (UK Parliament constituency)
Wells is a county constituency centred on the city of Wells in Somerset. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system...
from 1910 to 1918, and his son Duncan Sandys
Duncan Sandys
Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys CH PC was a British politician and a minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s...
later became an MP and cabinet minister.
Votes
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- Bodmin constituencyBodmin (UK Parliament constituency)Bodmin was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Cornwall from 1295 until 1983. Initially, it was a parliamentary borough, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England and later the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1868 general...